Category: Rivers

It’s that time of year again. After patiently suffering through the cold dark winter, where fly fishing opportunities are few and far between, the fleeting signs of warming weather are co-dependently latched onto as the frozen landscape begins to transform. I get excited. Time on the water able to feel fingers and toes is almost euphoric. The warming water is clear and soft. Previously ice-bound fish are aggressively feeding. It’s fishing season! And then it happens — The environmental fart known as Run-Off. Pristine ice-free rivers hopelessly morph into raging torrents of chocolate milk. River waters churn with mud and whatever else they can tear from their banks. Trees are snatched from their roots and fired like torpedos downstream crashing into a pile of previous years torpedos. As days become longer and the sun shines warmer the rivers stay angry, violent, and dark. These aquatic avalanches will build and peak in the coming weeks. Anticipation will turn to desperation and before long I will find myself standing in a river the color of a Tim Horton’s Double Double trying to hit a trout in the face with a fly. It’s the act of a hopelessness but something has to give.

It will be over soon. Then it will be a few weeks of studying flows to see which rivers look like they’ve cleared. This year I created a little network to assist in the process. The Facebook Group Northern BC Fly Fishing River Reports will hopefully create a community of northern anglers that can share river information. Summers are short and no one wants to waste a weekend fishing a blown out river. Somebody might have to but at least now they can take one for the team and the rest of us can enjoy some quality time on the water. This is the North. There are no fly shops right on the rivers (no fly shops period) that send out emails with weekly stream reports. Up here it’s DIY so a little collaboration between river junkies will go a long way.

So, here’s the stream report. Rivers are quickly rising and filling with mud. Hunker down or go fish the lakes — if you’re into that sort of thing.